Man charged with assaulting woman

Man charged with assaulting woman

A Jefferson City man was taken into custody for assaulting a woman Monday night by putting her in a chokehold and dragging her across a yard in the Capital City.

Dewarren Fountain, 44, is charged with first-degree assault.

Court documents show an off-duty Fulton police officer saw the incident and called the Jefferson City Police Department.

The victim and Fountain had gotten into an argument and the dispute became physical with Fountain, who was intoxicated, placing the victim in a headlock, police said.

He removed car keys from the victim's pockets so she couldn't leave the area to get help from her family.

When questioned by authorities, Fountain admitted he had gotten into an argument with the victim and he removed her keys, but did so because he didn't want her to follow him after he left the area.

The victim told authorities Fountain had threatened to kill her in the past.

Court records show he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on a first-degree burglary charge out of St. Charles County in 1992 and served two years in prison for a driving while intoxicated conviction in Cole County in 2008.